Friday 19 November 2010

Settle down

Round 29: February 2030 (Summer)
last update/next update

Steve Nihill is 35, Olivia is 33 and Ramona is 3.
(Caterina is 75, Lia is 33 and Josie is 28)

Narrated by Olivia Nihill

In between trying for another baby, Steve and I have been talking about ways to bring in extra cash.

We're not in over our heads - not even close - but we do have a little bit of debt and with plans to add to our family, it seems like a good idea to have a little money we can save for a rainy day.

Steve got a little side gig playing violin at The Claudette, just one night a week. He used to do it sometimes before we were married and he's brought in some more money.

He's such a fantastic musician and I always ask him why he never pursued a career in it. He doesn't really like the idea of turning something he finds fun into a full time job though, which I can kind of understand.

When I'm home with Ramona, I've been doing a lot of sewing and selling my creations online. The teddy bears have been popular.

It was hard to keep them away from Ramona, so I had to make her her own special one. She plays with him all the time.

I hope we can give her a little sibling to play with instead soon.

She's such an easygoing little girl and I bet she'd take to big sisterhood really well.

Mum is one of the few people I've told about trying to conceive. I don't want everyone we know constantly asking us whether I'm pregnant yet and I knew Mum wouldn't do that.

Mum has been trying to keep me thinking positive about it. She keeps reminding me that I'm still young - 9 years younger than she was when she had me, to be exact.

I know she's right and sometimes that gives me hope. Other times, it makes me wonder what's wrong with me, that women older than me can get pregnant and I can't.

Mum means well though, and she's never pushy or obnoxious about it so I try not to get too upset with her.

I have asked her not to tell anybody else about me and Steve trying to have another baby. She wouldn't tell to be gossipy but she does get excited sometimes and might let something slip.

The only other person who knows is Lia.

I wasn't going to tell her but we lived together for so long before she got married that she can always tell when something is on my mind. So I just let it all spill.

She and Gordon never had any trouble getting pregnant but Lia's a good listener.

I think a part of her was happy that we were trying. Lia's done with babies, so she's living vicariously through everyone else now.

Lia was very supportive though and I felt at least a tiny bit better having spoken with her about it.

Not long after I spoke with Lia, I started feeling nauseous pretty much constantly. It was similar to what I had when I was pregnant with Ramona but I didn't think I'd be that lucky.

Steve was convinced that this was it though, so I agreed to go and see a doctor. I just wasn't hopeful at all though. It's been over a year now that we've been trying and nothing.

But when Dr. Clarke walked in with our results smiling, we both knew!

It was still so nice to actually hear it though. We're really having a baby!

I'm due in early November, so I'm not too far along yet.

Ever since we found out, Steve has been waiting on me hand and foot. He doesn't want me exerting myself.

It's getting a bit much, actually. I'm pregnant, not invalid!

But it's very sweet at the same time. I do love getting home from work and never having to make dinner. He's a good husband.

And he's a great dad too, even though he didn't ever think he would be, before Ramona came along.

Steve told Ramona about the impending arrival of a little brother or sister and she seemed quite happy about the idea.

I don't know how much she really understands but before bed, she often starts talking about "the baby". It's adorable. I think Ramona will be a wonderful big sister.

Extras:

So at some point during this play session, Troy just wandered into the house uninvited, headed for the nursery and picked up Ramona. I guess she wasn't pleased with this development, because she ended up puking all over him!

The third last of my family portraits: the Nihill-Royce-Sitkos (well, there's only one Sitko!) Jessica cracks me up here, because she just looks so chuffed with herself!

Ramona sings nursery rhymes to herself constantly. I think she looks like she forgot the words here!

Notes:
  • Title is from Settle Down by Zwan.
  • Yay! I was hoping Steve and Olivia would conceive naturally, because they really don't have the money to pay for fertility treatments. They poured every cent they owned and then some into this house! The first pregnancy update for Olivia will be in May, which is also when Luc and Asha's son Marcus turns 1.
  • Steve and Olivia got a couple of those AL benefits this round which should make things easier for them. Olivia has a 10% discount on everything in the catalog now, and Steve will apparently be getting a promotion next time he goes to work. Which is nice, because he sure doesn't seem motivated to get those three logic skill points he needs to advance!

14 comments:

  1. i love this family and i think it's the cutest XD
    I can't wait for the new baby. I'm sure it'll be just as cute as Ramona.
    Aww and Ramona looked so sweet singing nursery rhymes to herself.

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  2. I'm so glad they are having another one! It only seems fitting since Marcus is going to be one soon, that they get their second baby too!

    Ramona is adorable, I love when the little tykes sing nursery rhymes.

    They have such a great house, and I loved the photos of her talking with Lia in the nursery. This next baby will be born just in time to use the nursery, as Ramona moves up to a big girl bed.

    Jessica is way too funny in that family portrait! And Olivia looks like she's advertising that she has a real close shave in her underarms, lol. Looks like an ad in a magazine.

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  3. Aww, another baby. When Josie walked in the room as Dr.Clarke, I was confused, "No! That's Josie!" then bamm! I remembered that she is married now and probably should be a full doctor-wowzer, time flies in your game! I also love the family photo and Jessica's pose, I'm assuming that's a new child pose?

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  4. Yay, another baby! Can't wait. I hope they have a boy!

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  5. Ha, I see you using that new posebox!!! It looks really good! Very natural! I've only gotten to pick at it a little, but it seems to do a lot! And it looks like it'll take me a while to learn.

    Troy! LOL! Well yeah, that's what happens when you abduct a child from her sleep! (And um, who invited him into the house then? Is he even friends with any of these guys? lol!)

    Awww, I'm happy to see these guys having another! They're still so cute together! :)

    Jessica is precious in that picture! Is that with the new posebox too? And did you have to modify a pose to work on her, or does it work for kids already? So many questions, lol!

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  6. Thanks for reading, all!

    mail, Ramona is one of the sweetest toddlers I've had so far. She's a good little girl. I'm hoping this next baby inherits a little more from Olivia though.

    Maisie, me too! All of their friends are adding to their families or have more than one kid already, so they're at that stage in life now.

    Ramona is a fiend for nursery rhymes. Must be Daddy's influence. She's almost maxed out her charisma, just from singing to herself and with her parents!

    Thanks, I love this house! The view from the nursery really adds something special to each picture, I think. I'm so glad I did terrain surgery!

    LOL, I actually had the same thought too, days after I took that picture with Olivia. Too funny!

    Apple Valley, LOL, yep, Josie is practising as Dr Clarke now. She's been fully qualified since 2028, so not too long.

    No, Jessica's pose is just one of the MayPink poses. The standing ones don't work well for kids, because they look like they're levitating but the sitting ones are at the right level. That one is from the Men's Pose Box - something like that.

    Riverdale, LOL, me too! I have a name picked out for a boy and for a girl, but I'm far more fond of the boys' name!

    Laura, yeah, I couldn't wait to try it out. I used it in the Novak 3 update too, but you wouldn't have noticed it much. I was only using the spinal adjustments. It looks like it's going to be quite useful!

    LOL, Olivia is friends with Josie but I don't know if she or Steve have even met Troy! It's his outgoing points, I guess but still...walking into a random child's nursery is a bit much!

    I was so glad when I heard those chimes. I never push them to try for a baby and I don't even direct them to woohoo unless one of them has the want for it and Steve and Olivia tried so many times this session! It was at least 5 or 6 times before they were successful.

    And yep, Jessica's pose is from a MayPink box (Men's Posebox, or Male Posebox, I think it's called). I have very few poseboxes with poses specifically made for kids. This pose isn't modified at all - the sitting and lying poses generally work well for kids.

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  7. Yay! Another baby for these two is great. They are going to round their little family out nicely.

    Oh geez, all her worry about her mother telling is right on target--I asked my mom not to tell anyone when I got pregnant, at least not until I was out of the first trimester. She slipped once, and after that just decided it was fine to tell everyone. Too excited.

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  8. I'm so glad Ramona is going to be a big sis! I hope they have a little boy too :). I'm really trying to get into using the poseboxes more, especially since my last few updates have leaned more heavily towards story telling. Everyone always looks so natural in your updates, the way they should look! And I can't wait for Jessica to become a teen, she should be interesting to watch :)

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  9. Yay they're expecting another! I hope it's twins cuz Ramona is such a pretty little girl. But I only hope for twins if they don't have to move because their house is so nice. I'm excited to see Ramona age up along with Marcus. I'm anxious to see how they look.

    I have to remember to do the nursery rhymes when I have toddlers again. I've only seen it a couple of times but don't remember if any of them learned them and sang to themselves. I bet it's so cute!

    LOL @ Jessica in the family pic. She's a funny kid. I think Ramona looks sweet, too. And it was nice to see Josie with her own office (and with her new name!) LOL @ Troy just walking into someone's house and picking up their child. That's really creepy, even for a sim ;-)

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  10. Rachel, two kids would be perfect for Steve and Olivia. There's a very large third bedroom in this house going to waste. ;)

    Aw, it's sweet that your mum was so excited but yeah - I definitely understand wanting to keep things under wraps for the first 12 weeks or so!

    Mizzgin03, a little boy would be really nice. :)

    Thanks for the compliment on my posing. I guess that means my attempt to hide the fact that Olivia's feet are bleeding through the couch was successful! ;) But pose boxes are a lot of fun once you start getting into them.

    I'll be curious to see Jessica as a teen too, especially with Emma, who is destined to be a troublemaker and Lauren, who I can see just following along whatever her older friends are doing! LOL...thinking too far ahead!

    Danielle, well, with future twins, I'm going to do what I did with Charlie and Camilla and reveal that in the second trimester pregnancy update. That's around when you'd definitely know in real life, so that's when my Sims will "know" as well. But anyway, they wouldn't necessarily have to move if they had twins. There's plenty of room to add a second crib and potty in the nursery and then I could just move Ramona to the smaller (but still big!) bedroom.

    Oh, the nursery rhymes are cute! I never remember to do it unless my Sims roll up a want for it but of course, that was the first thing Steve wanted to do!

    I love Ramona in the family pic. Just like a kid her age, to be more interested in everything else in the room than in looking at the camera!

    I almost chose Cara as Olivia's doctor this time seeing that's how she had last time. But poor Cara must be overworked seeing I've used her the most, so I'll give Josie a go. ;)

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  11. I thought I commented here already, so I'm sorry I didn't!

    I LOVE Ramona!!! She's so cute! The picture where Ramona walks into the room, it looks like Olivia is keeping a close eye on her.

    I'm so happy they will be having another child! No mather what it will be, I'm sure he or she will be as cute as Ramona!
    I have to say, at first I didn't know who you meant with 'Dr. Clarke', I was thinking, "Dr. Clarke, isn't it Josie?" but then I realised she's Josie Clarke now :)

    I love their house!! It looks so warm and inviting!

    Jessica Cracked me up too in that familypicture!

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  12. Tanja, I love that picture too. I had Ramona walk in and Olivia turned her head towards her but I missed getting the right shot. I never thought I'd get her to turn her head again but she did it every time. Adorable! I'm sure #2 will be a cutie as well!

    LOL, Josie's confusing a few people with her new name! I don't usually need to refer to my Sims by just their surnames, so I can understand that.

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  13. Ramona is so huge. Ah, TS2 toddlers are just adorable!

    Love the family portrait! Jessica does look very chuffed with herself, lol. And I love Steve and Olivia's poses. So fitting for those two.

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  14. Lunar, aren't they? I'm biased but I think Ramona is one of the cuter ones I've seen around. ;)

    Glad you like the portrait. It was one of the easier ones (so small!) so I could pay more attention to everything, like suitable poses.

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